


(like you're the ocean) and he's desperate to drown

by maradyer (ashtxns)



Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:13:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6172324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashtxns/pseuds/maradyer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sorry, zoned out,” Jude quickly replies. “I got milk and your beer. Anything else you want?”</p><p>“Yes.” Zero’s voice is soft when he answers. “Come home.” He hangs up.</p><p>or, Jude's still trying to deal with Zero being a constant in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(like you're the ocean) and he's desperate to drown

**Author's Note:**

> this is completely self-indulgent i'm so sorry
> 
> ANYWAY i watched all episodes in one day and one night and became super obsessed with these two so i just had to write something
> 
> sorry if the characterization's a bit off i'm still learning how to write them!
> 
> i apologize for any mistakes you may find since english isn't my first language. enjoy!

Zero posts a picture of them the morning after. Well, it’s more a picture of Jude, really. It only shows his bare back and the sunlight filtering in through the window, but it gets the desirable attention. Over a thousand of retweets and too many comments Zero can’t be bothered to read.

He captions it _what a sight_.

*

“We need milk,” says Zero as greeting as soon as Jude picks up the phone.

“Hello to you too,” answers Jude dryly but he looks into his basket and, when he sees no milk, turns around and heads for the refrigerators. He can hear some shuffling on the other side of the line and then Zero’s voice comes back, “Milk and, uh, beer.”

“I thought we still had beer?” Jude frowns, the phone pressed between his shoulder and ear, while he grabs a carton of milk. “I remember seeing some bottles yesterday.”

“Oh yeah, but that’s the cheap stuff, the kind you drink,” Zero answers. His voice sounds a bit faraway, as if he put his phone on speaker, and Jude can just see him rummaging around the fridge, looking for something to eat.

Jude pulls a face. “Your beer is disgusting.” But even as he’s saying it, his feet are taking him away from the refrigerators and he soon finds himself in the beverage aisle, scanning for Zero’s favoured brand. He finds himself doing this often, caving in so Zero can have his way, and he realized early that he’s doing it so Zero won’t think any less of him, won’t get sick of him, won’t leave one day and never come back. These thoughts are ridiculous, Jude knows that, but there’s a small part inside him making up different scenarios of Zero leaving and it’s the same part which still provided him with a tiny bit of hope after Oscar disowned him but now it’s Zero and a little voice in his brain is telling him _you’re not enough you’re not enough you’re not enough._ He can’t lose Zero, not again. So he’s doing everything in his power to keep him.

Zero’s voice comes floating through the speakers, interrupts him in his thoughts and Jude snaps out of his haze. “Hello?” Zero asks, amusement in his voice. “Earth to Jude?”

“Sorry, zoned out,” Jude quickly replies. “I got milk and your beer. Anything else you want?”

“Yes.” Zero’s voice is soft when he answers. “Come home.” He hangs up.

*

Zero posts a video on Instagram of him and Jude in IKEA. The video, only ten seconds long, shows Zero following Jude around and making horrible IKEA puns. The last shot is of Jude looking exaggeratedly into the camera. The positive response is overwhelming.

Zero captions it _I have no idea why he’s still sticking around._

*

Jude doesn’t have a Twitter, or anything of the sorts, and he doesn’t need to. He’s got the login information for Zero’s Twitter account – Zero had given it to him with the explanation, “If you won’t make yourself your own account –“ and an eye-roll, but they both knew what he meant was _if I get drunk and tweet something inappropriate please delete it_.

He stays away from Instagram.

*

Over time, Jude’s apartment has become _their_ apartment. Little things of Zero’s are all scattered around – his jacket thrown carelessly over the back of the couch, his DVD collection taking up most of the shelves, his clothes finding a new spot in the bedroom drawer.

Just like Zero. Zero finding his way into Jude’s life, slowly but surely, winding his way under his skin, scratching at his shell, the walls he built around himself, bit by bit until they chipped away until Jude was raw and visible, all his fears and insecurities out in the open, and Zero? Zero stayed. Zero, who told him _I don’t do relationships_ and then kissed him in front of thousands of people, Zero who makes him feel normal and warm, Zero who said _I think about you first all the time_ – Zero stayed.

*

Lionel takes one look at him when he visits her in her office and holds her hands up. “Stop right there. What’s wrong?”

Jude furrows his brows. “Nothing’s wrong,” he sinks into a chair in front of her desk, still confused. “Why?”

“Have you even looked at yourself? You look like you haven’t been sleeping for a week!” she exclaims, eyes wide. “And I know it isn’t sex because I know the way you look after you’ve had sex the whole night. That, and the team is currently in Boston. So, spit it out. Did he hurt you?”

All Jude can bring out is, “What?”

Lionel pinches the bridge of her nose. “And I warned him about hurting you, jeez, where are my car keys –“

“Lionel,” something inside Jude clicked and now he’s trying to get her attention. “Lionel, hey!” She finally looks from searching her drawers. He musters a small smile. “Zero didn’t hurt me in any way. I’m fine. We both are.”

She narrows her eyes. “Are you sure? But you look so exhausted, honey.”

Jude sighs, rubbing at his eyes. “I know. Just had a bad night’s sleep.”

Lionel grins at him knowingly. “You missing Zero?”

“I do,” he replies because a) he knows he stands no chance against Lionel in an argument and b) he really fucking misses Zero.

“Let’s go out tonight,” Lionel visibly brightens up. “You and I. Get you drunk, so you can sleep like a baby and the team’s coming back tomorrow either way.”

Jude smiles at her. “You’ll keep asking until I say yes, so yes. Let’s go out.”

Lionel claps her hands together and squeals. “Now,” she composes herself. “Why did you come here in the first place? Did you want something?”

“Oh, uh,” Jude starts but then falls silent, the thing he’d been meaning to talk about lingering on his tongue. _I’m scared of Zero growing tired of me._ He knows what Lionel will say, she’ll scoff and roll her eyes and call him stupid for even thinking about this, so he simply shakes his head. “Nope. Just wanted to say hello to my favourite girl.”

“Aw, you’re cute,” Lionel grins, looking down when her phone beeps. “Oh, crap,” she mutters. “Jude, I’ll catch you later, yeah?”

Jude nods and he’s already on his way to the door. “Hey, Jude,” Lionel calls and he looks back to find her staring at her phone, a video playing. She glances up, smiling. “Zero really loves you.”

He leaves her office with a slight smile on his face and his nerves settled.

*

Zero loves social media. He loves posting all kind of things, from the locker room before a game to the view of the beach to Jude. Ever since they’d come out, his Instagram’s been full of pictures and videos of Jude.

Lionel had called him “a social media hoe.” Zero had called it, “Just showing my appreciation for the fine arts.” Jude had rolled his eyes.

*

Jude gets woken up by a light stubble grazing his thigh. He _fully_ wakes up when he feels a slight pain on his right thigh and when he opens his eyes all he can see is a blond head between his thighs. “God,” he groans, letting his head fall back. “You can’t just do this to me so early in the morning.”

Zero continues nibbling at his thigh, now moving on to his left one and moving dangerously higher. “Wanted you to wake up to something special,” he says and looks back, eyes dark, full of lust, and a wicked smirk on his face. “Either that, or breakfast in bed. And don’t tell me you would’ve chosen the breakfast.”

“If you don’t stop talking and continue with what you’re doing then I’ll regret not choosing breakfast.”

Zero only smirks and goes back to kissing and nibbling his thighs.

*

Later, when Zero was done with making him moan and beg, making him writhe underneath him, after they’ve gone for a round two in the shower, after they’ve gotten dressed, Zero says, “Let’s move in together.”

Jude freezes in the middle of pouring his coffee. “Sorry? I thought we were already living together.”

“Well, yes,” Zero easily answers and goes to sit on the counter. “But this was your place before I practically moved in and I feel like –“ He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Look, I just want something that we both can call home. Something new.”

“Something new,” Jude repeats and steps forward until he’s standing between Zero’s legs. Zero immediately pulls him closer, draping his arms around Jude’s waist. “And a place with a bigger shower,” he continues, sipping his coffee. “I don’t want to hit my head again.”

Zero’s smile could outshine the sun, Jude thinks, and he has to smile too. “So, you’re in?” Zero asks, almost vibrating with excitement. _Always, with you,_ Jude thinks, but says, “Yes.”

*

The first apartment they visit has a too small bathroom. The second place smells of moth balls, according to Zero, but they still take the tour. Zero takes one look at the front room of the third apartment and leaves again.

Jude sighs as he plops down on the couch, now back at their own apartment, and looks up at Zero. “Wanna talk now?”

Zero grabs two beers from the fridge, hands one over to Jude, and lets himself fall back down next to him. “None of them felt right,” he mutters.

Jude takes a sip of his beer, contemplates his next words. “Why don’t we move into your apartment? It has a big enough bathroom. And is generally nicer and bigger than mine.”

Zero’s answer is almost too quiet for Jude to hear it. “It’s too big.” Jude doesn’t say anything, instead lets Zero curl up against him, softly running a hand through his hair.

“We can also,” Zero starts, voice soft. “Just stay here. Renovate the bathroom, build in a bigger shower. And if your landlord’s got a problem with it, I’ve got enough money to buy this apartment.”

Jude bites his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud. “And why didn’t you suggest that sooner and dragged me around L.A. apartment hunting?”

Zero shrugs. “We barely see each other these days, I just wanted an excuse to spend the day with you.”

*

The thing is, Zero is still learning how to love, how to act in a _real_ relationship. They don’t say I love you often. Zero knows. Zero knows that Jude loved him, loves him, will continue to love him. But Jude still likes to say it sometime, in the middle of the night when they’re lying side by side, breathing heavily, likes to write it into his skin when he’s kissing his way down Zero’s chest, making him moan.

Zero doesn’t say it but he still means it, means it when he says _come home,_ when he looks at Jude as if Jude hung the stars in the sky, when he kisses him and it always feels like their last kiss.

Jude’s starting to believe him. He’s also starting to shut the voice in his brain out, the one telling him it’s all a game. He tells the voice _fuck you_ and goes to join Zero in the shower.

*

Zero wakes him up the next day with breakfast in bed. “What’s this for?” Jude asks around a yawn, rubbing his eyes. Zero looks nervous and Zero never looks nervous, not even before a game, so Jude carefully puts the tray on the bedside table and sits up straighter, pulling Zero closer. “What’s wrong?” he asks quietly.

“I love you,” Zero says without warning, meeting his eyes. “I love you so much and I promise to remind you every day of that, for the rest of my life.”

Jude swallows once. “Sounds like wedding vows,” he tries to joke, throat dry.

Zero chuckles. “You have no idea,” he murmurs and then he’s taking a small, velvet box out of his pocket and places it in Jude’s hands and _oh shit_ Jude can hear his breath going faster, his heart almost beating out of his chest and – And then there’s Zero’s hands, on his, and he feels like he can breathe again.

“Open it,” Zero whispers, eyes fixated on Jude. “And if you hate me after this, please don’t throw the hot coffee at me.”

Jude lets out a choke, half-sob and half-laugh, _I could never hate you_ , and slowly opens the box. The ring is beautiful. A simple silver band, with three small diamonds put in the middle and Jude rapidly blinks back the tears.

“Zero,” he starts, voice raw, but falls silent when Zero takes his free hand and intertwines their fingers together.

“I didn’t want anything flashy or public-related,” he whispers. “This is just us. And we both carry our baggage around but I just want – God, I can talk someone’s ear off but when it comes to you, Jude, I can’t seem to find the words.” Zero looks down, a blush rising on his cheeks, looks up again. “I’m cutting this short. Marry me, please?”

Jude can barely nod before a smile starts breaking out on Zero’s face and then he’s smiling too and Zero’s taking the ring out of the box and carefully sliding it into Jude’s finger and then Jude’s pulling him forward and they’re both tumbling onto the bed, grinning and laughing and kissing.

*

Zero posts a picture of both of them in bed, shirtless and grinning, Jude's hand with the ring on clearly visible.

He hashtags it _#putaringonit_.


End file.
